Maresca dismisses Guardiola shadow as City win six from six under new boss

Enzo Maresca has brushed aside any pressure of following Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, saying he does not spend his days thinking about his legendary predecessor as City make a perfect start to the Premier League season with six wins from six games.

Guardiola departed in the summer after a decade that brought City their first Champions League, six Premier League titles and two separate trebles. A stand at the Etihad Stadium now bears his name. Maresca, a former assistant to Guardiola at the club, was appointed as his successor after leaving Chelsea, and is quick to acknowledge the scale of what came before him — while refusing to be paralysed by it.

“For me to be in this club is a privilege and to be in this club after a legend like Pep is a privilege,” Maresca said. “I know if I don’t win it’s a disaster, and it’s normal, but I don’t spend my day thinking who was here before and for how many years.”

The task facing Maresca is not simply one of continuity. The playing squad has been substantially overhauled, with senior figures Bernardo Silva, Rodri, John Stones and Nathan Ake — all of whom worked with Maresca during his previous coaching stints at the club — departing over the summer.

“The players are a completely different squad,” Maresca said. “There are three or four players from my last season here, and at the end I spend my day by day with the players so it’s something new. I’m happy because I can see that we’re improving.”

Maresca added that he was aware of the transitional moment he was stepping into when he agreed to take the job. “I knew that the club was in a moment of change after ten years with the same manager and Rodri, Bernardo, John, Ake. It’s normal that there is a change but at the same time I’m quite confident that we can do a good job.”

City face Sunderland on Sunday in what Maresca has described as their most demanding fixture of the season so far. There is a potential boost in attack, however, with winger Jeremy Doku potentially returning to fitness after missing games since the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal.